What was your first bike and how did you come to own it?

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faded sun
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What was your first bike and how did you come to own it?

#1 Unread post by faded sun »

I saw the Honda CRF 50 on the Cool Wall and recalled my first bike, a Kawasaki KX90.

My family owned a farm. My siblings and I (to varying degrees) were the labour there for the most part. While I longed for a motorcycle I knew that the subject was closed since my uncle had died (long before I was born) in a motorcycle accident on Christmas day. ( yeah, bummer, eh?) So I rode anything I could whenever I could as a shy 14 year old and subscribed to Cycle Canada magazine (or whatever it was).

So you can imagine my shock when my father asked me on my fifteenth birthday what I was doing and if I would care to go down to the local motorcycle dealer to look for a motorcycle. I had been haunting the place for months with my eye on a Yamaha 80 that was the smallest, cheapest one there. I was nowhere near saving enough to buy it myself.

When we arrived, I was horrified to find it had been sold. Unperturbed, my father asked what else they had to offer. Long story short, we brought home a Kawasaki KX90 in all its lime green glory and I was happy to agree to the terms and conditions of use. I rode it for several years at the farm and loved every minute of it. I am now in my 40th year of riding.

What's your story?
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Re: What was your first bike and how did you come to own it?

#2 Unread post by ceemes »

My first bike was an very late 70's very early 80's Honda CM400. Bought it used, along with a used helmet and brand new rain gear and nylon saddle bags for less then C$5OO back in 1987 or 1988 after I was forced to sell my '79 Ford Mustang Corba (that was the one with the honking 5 L engine, manual transmission, fake hood scoop and wicked Cobra decals on the hood.) after doing some serious damage to the drive train and not being able to afford proper repairs. Needed cheap and reliable transportation to get to work and back so got the CM400. Never rode a bike before that, so had to learn it the hard way, by trial and error as there were no affordable riding schools around at the time. I took my test about a month after I got the bike and passed on the first go. Rode that bike for a couple of years through all sorts of weather, sun, rain and even snow.
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Re: What was your first bike and how did you come to own it?

#3 Unread post by blues2cruise »

faded sun wrote:I saw the Honda CRF 50 on the Cool Wall and recalled my first bike, a Kawasaki KX90.

My family owned a farm. My siblings and I (to varying degrees) were the labour there for the most part. While I longed for a motorcycle I knew that the subject was closed since my uncle had died (long before I was born) in a motorcycle accident on Christmas day. ( yeah, bummer, eh?) So I rode anything I could whenever I could as a shy 14 year old and subscribed to Cycle Canada magazine (or whatever it was).

So you can imagine my shock when my father asked me on my fifteenth birthday what I was doing and if I would care to go down to the local motorcycle dealer to look for a motorcycle. I had been haunting the place for months with my eye on a Yamaha 80 that was the smallest, cheapest one there. I was nowhere near saving enough to buy it myself.

When we arrived, I was horrified to find it had been sold. Unperturbed, my father asked what else they had to offer. Long story short, we brought home a Kawasaki KX90 in all its lime green glory and I was happy to agree to the terms and conditions of use. I rode it for several years at the farm and loved every minute of it. I am now in my 40th year of riding.

What's your story?
Terrific story. :D
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blues2cruise
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Re: What was your first bike and how did you come to own it?

#4 Unread post by blues2cruise »

My first was my Yamaha 650 V-Star Classic. I was 53 when I started. :mrgreen:
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Re: What was your first bike and how did you come to own it?

#5 Unread post by BusterWantsToFish »

In 1980 I was thinking of buying a motorcycle. I was 20 years old but still living at home while in college and my parents made it clear that I would not have a motorcycle if I was living at home. My girlfriend also made it clear that I was not to buy a motorcycle. So when my parents went to Hawaii for two weeks I went out and bought a '75 Kawasaki KZ400. My riding experience at that point consisted of repeatedly stalling my buddy's CZ125 motocross bike alternated with pulling wheelies and then stalling the same bike. I picked up my "big bike" in a private sale and headed down the road. I was flying. I looked at the speedometer and I was doing a blazing 25mph. I was the wind. My parents didn't throw me out. My girlfriend didn't break up with me. It was a good lesson in false ultimatums. Three months later I had a Pontiac station wagon turn left in front of me. End of KZ400.

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Re: What was your first bike and how did you come to own it?

#6 Unread post by faded sun »

blues2cruise wrote:My first was my Yamaha 650 V-Star Classic. I was 53 when I started. :mrgreen:
Sounds like there's a lot more to that story...

:wink:
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Re: What was your first bike and how did you come to own it?

#7 Unread post by blues2cruise »

faded sun wrote:
blues2cruise wrote:My first was my Yamaha 650 V-Star Classic. I was 53 when I started. :mrgreen:
Sounds like there's a lot more to that story...

:wink:
Always liked motorcycles....circumstances prevented learning and acquiring....

One day after a ride as a passenger........when dropping me off at my home....my friend says to me..."You could do this, you know".....I protested that at my age it was too late to start....he gave me the gears about that...
Anyway...the next day I went to motor vehicles and got the book to read up on learning to ride...a few weeks later I wrote the learner's test and passed. I then signed up for the motorcycle course...cashed in an RRSP to buy the bike and the gear... After looking around at different used and new bikes of various makes and models...I purchased that 2004 Yamaha V-Star...new out of crate....

I took the classes in September...rode all winter.....then took my road test in February....I managed to pass.....That was 2005. I put five years and 50,000km on that bike. Then in 2010 I traded in for a 2009 Kawasaki Vulcan 900.
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blues2cruise
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Re: What was your first bike and how did you come to own it?

#8 Unread post by blues2cruise »

BusterWantsToFish wrote:In 1980 I was thinking of buying a motorcycle. I was 20 years old but still living at home while in college and my parents made it clear that I would not have a motorcycle if I was living at home. My girlfriend also made it clear that I was not to buy a motorcycle. So when my parents went to Hawaii for two weeks I went out and bought a '75 Kawasaki KZ400. My riding experience at that point consisted of repeatedly stalling my buddy's CZ125 motocross bike alternated with pulling wheelies and then stalling the same bike. I picked up my "big bike" in a private sale and headed down the road. I was flying. I looked at the speedometer and I was doing a blazing 25mph. I was the wind. My parents didn't throw me out. My girlfriend didn't break up with me. It was a good lesson in false ultimatums. Three months later I had a Pontiac station wagon turn left in front of me. End of KZ400.
I see by your name you still ride....how long before you got another bike?
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Re: What was your first bike and how did you come to own it?

#9 Unread post by faded sun »

blues2cruise wrote:
faded sun wrote:
blues2cruise wrote:My first was my Yamaha 650 V-Star Classic. I was 53 when I started. :mrgreen:
Sounds like there's a lot more to that story...

:wink:
Always liked motorcycles....circumstances prevented learning and acquiring....

One day after a ride as a passenger........when dropping me off at my home....my friend says to me..."You could do this, you know".....I protested that at my age it was too late to start....he gave me the gears about that...
Anyway...the next day I went to motor vehicles and got the book to read up on learning to ride...a few weeks later I wrote the learner's test and passed. I then signed up for the motorcycle course...cashed in an RRSP to buy the bike and the gear... After looking around at different used and new bikes of various makes and models...I purchased that 2004 Yamaha V-Star...new out of crate....

I took the classes in September...rode all winter.....then took my road test in February....I managed to pass.....That was 2005. I put five years and 50,000km on that bike. Then in 2010 I traded in for a 2009 Kawasaki Vulcan 900.
Awesome..
Jock

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Re: What was your first bike and how did you come to own it?

#10 Unread post by BusterWantsToFish »

blues2cruise wrote:
I see by your name you still ride....how long before you got another bike?
It was over a year until I could put together cash for the next bike...a '76 KH400 triple 2-stroke beast that had been a race bike. It was like riding a rabid chain-saw on steroids. I wish I still had that one.

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